PHOTO: Firefighters and rescue workers performed a complex operation to rescue a truck driver who had fallen 75 feet from the I-85 bridge in Rowan County Wednesday morning.
It happened just after 2:30 a.m.
Rescue officials say the incident began when a car hydroplaned and struck the side of the northbound bridge over the Yadkin River in Rowan County.
Two FedEx truck drivers stopped to help the stranded motorist. Moments later, they saw a tractor-trailer heading towards them. Fearing that the truck would not get stopped in time, one of the drivers jumped over the bridge, possibly thinking it was a concrete median. That driver fell 75 feet to a dirt bank.
Firefighters from the Miller’s Ferry and Salisbury Fire Departments, and rescue workers from Rowan Rescue, had to rappel down to where the victim had landed.
They were able to get to him safely and bring him back up to the bridge. The driver was taken to the hospital, but was reported to be conscious and alert.